I bought the CD set of Van Halen's studio albums 1978-1984 https://www.amazon.com/Studio-Albums-1978-1984-VAN-HALEN/dp/B00B125QRS What is the consensus on this? People keep telling me the HDCD remasters were bad. I thought this box was pretty decent. The original CDs sound anemic to me.
The Sony mastering doesn't sound bad at all once you run it through de-emphasis. I really liked the 2011 remaster too.
The 2009 Rolling Stones remasters. Too loud. I don't regret spending mucho deinero on the SHM Platinum CDs.
Some albums from the second half of Prince's career, especially The Gold Experience and Art Official Age. I love both albums, but they hurt my ears.
No, I think they mastered it that loud so that it stuck out a mile from everything else when played on a pub jukebox.
Every single R.E.M. release of the 2000s, no wonder so few look upon their work of this time with any real fondness
Thank you. I've been waiting to read this since I joined the forum and I was beginning to wonder if I was remembering incorrectly.
The worst CD I've heard is "The Very Best Of The Rascals" from 1993. Sounds like it was mastered from vinyl on a cheap turntable with a thick layer of dust on the needle. Completely unlistenable.
From my experience. Most of the early Peter Gabriel CD's up to So. They sound muddy (at least that's the way a friend described them). Oasis and their wanting to have loud CD's so they stand out. New Order- Singles (responsible for the worst clipping sounds to ever come from my speakers. Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2. This one to me is loud to the point of "I can't really listen to it".
Same with the LPs too (Greatest Hits and The Great) which have the crappy stereo versions. SSS is an abomination.
Before I showed up here I had that on the shelf and in my iTunes. I can't remember when I banished it from iTunes but the only remnant of it is the bonus CD that I'm sure is hated by most folks here but I still tolerate it.
Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong CD. At any rate they do have one compilation which has "Won't Get Fooled Again" at DR 2.
Blue Oyster Cult's Imaginos. But in all fairness, the vinyl is too! But in this case, is it the mix or the mastering????
I'm a Marillion fan but the mastering on this particular edition is so horrible I can't tell if I like the music on this album or not?
Totally agree. The Sony mastering was a flat transfer of the Japanese Pro Series master, and the master was only 10 years old at the time, it sounds very similar as the early 70s Japanese pro master vinyl LPs (as it should) but to my ears, cleaner and better articulated bass. That said, I have come across several people who say otherwise but inevitable they have the wrong TO black triangle or they have ripped the CD without de-emphasising it.
Cd? It's very loud - brick walled all to hell. I do not have any reference to the vinyl. That might be better.
